This afternoon, President Biden signed an Executive Order that calls for half of all new vehicles sold in 2030 to be zero-emissions vehicles. Today’s announcement is the most sweeping U.S. electric vehicle (EV) adoption goal to date, and the Zero Emission Transportation Association (ZETA) commends the Biden Administration for their dedication to ensuring a rapid transition to EVs, as outlined in the Build Back Better agenda. And with the proper government investments, the auto industry is primed to electrify even faster – ZETA is dedicated to ensuring that the United States reaches 100% EV sales by 2030. After all, rapidly electrifying our transportation sector is smart economic policy: mass EV adoption will significantly improve public health, boost the economy, and create millions of good-paying jobs.
In addition to providing funding for EV charging stations and electric buses through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the federal government must provide robust consumer incentives in order to accelerate the adoption rate of EVs. The Biden Administration has proposed more than $100 billion for consumer incentives, and it is imperative that the upcoming budget reconciliation process makes those investments a reality. To achieve the maximum impact, these consumer incentives should be provided at the point-of-sale, apply to both new and used vehicles, and include light-, medium-, and heavy-duty vehicles.
Today, BMW, Ford, Honda, Volkswagen, and Volvo Cars, the automakers who partnered with California when the previous administration attempted to roll back federal vehicle emissions standards, released a joint statement regarding the Biden Administration’s move to set new federal vehicle emissions standards.
“We were proud to stand with California to establish progressive new greenhouse gas regulations, and we remain committed to leading the industry in fighting against climate change. That’s why we support the Administration’s goal of reaching an electric vehicle future and applaud President Biden’s leadership on reducing emissions and investing in critical infrastructure to achieve these reductions. While the California framework companies are driving towards 40-50% of our sales being EVs in the next nine years, bold action from our partners in the federal government is crucial to build consumer demand for electric vehicles and put us on track to achieve the global commitments of the Paris Climate Agreement. That includes a strong nationwide greenhouse gas emissions standard, continued investments in charging infrastructure, and broad consumer incentives for all electric vehicle purchases.”